Megan Hess was destined to draw. An initial career in graphic design evolved into art direction for some of the world’s leading design agencies. She has illustrated portraits for Vanity Fair and The New York Times, and illustrated the windows of Bergdorf Goodman in New York. Megan has also illustrated live for renowned fashion houses such as Christian Dior Couture, Givenchy, Tiffany & Co., Louis Vuitton, Montblanc, Yves Saint Laurent, Vogue, Prada, Cartier and more. This love affair with fashion led Megan Hess to write a series of beautifully illustrated children’s picture books about a little mouse named Claris, the latest of which is Where is Claris in Paris: A Look-and-Find Story!
Today, Megan is on the blog to answer a few of our questions about Claris the mouse. Read on!
Megan Hess
Let’s get to know Megan Hess! Can you tell us a little about yourself and your career?
I was born in Brisbane and studied Graphic Design at Griffith University hoping it would lead to a creative career of some sort! My first job was an Art Director in Advertising, and then at 20 I packed everything up and moved to London. It was in London that my eyes opened to all the creative opportunities out there in the world and I realised that my love of drawing could actually be my profession.
My career really took off when Candace Bushnell asked if I would illustrate her next novel, One Fifth Avenue. This was when things took off at rapid speed for me. Her book became a New York Times bestseller and I met with Candace and she asked me to illustrate all her previous books, including the cover of Sex and The City. Once Sex and the City was released I was contacted by TIME magazine in New York to create portraits for them. Following this, I began illustrating for Tiffany & Co, Chanel, Dior, Cartier, Fendi, Vanity Fair, Italian Vogue, Bergdorf Goodman, Salvatore Ferragamo, Chopard, Estee Lauder, Prada … I have also created portraits for Michelle Obama, Gwyneth Paltrow, Cate Blanchett and Nicole Kidman.
I now work and live in Melbourne, Australia, with my husband and two kids and I am just so thankful and incredibly lucky that I get to do what I love every day as a profession.
So with such an impressive background in fashion illustrating, how did writing and illustrating a little Parisian mouse become your next big project?
I certainly never planned to become an author but I’m so happy that I did, it was just such a new experience for me! My fashion books have always been a labour of love and the writing has always been based on subjects that I’m very passionate about, but having my own children I knew I wanted to create something for children to love and enjoy. I think I had wanted to write a children’s book for about 10 years so it was incredibly joyful to finally do it.
When writing and illustrating the Claris series, I wanted to make sure that at the centre of the story, although her world may be fashion, her courage, compassion and kindness is what sets her apart from others. I also really hoped that Claris would connect with not only children but adults too. After reading to my own children for so long, I longed for a children’s book that had a little fashion in it whilst still having enormous heart. I really hope I’ve achieved that.
What was your inspiration for this chic little mouse, Claris? How did this adorable character pop into your head?
It was during my time in Paris, researching for my last book, Paris Through a Fashion Eye, that I had a wonderful idea … I was sitting on my little balcony at Le Bristol Hotel, where I am their Artist in Residence, and I thought I saw a little mouse on a neighbouring rooftop scurrying across the building. I remember thinking how wonderfully chic it would be to live in Paris, even if you were only a tiny little mouse! I also really wanted the character to be an animal rather than a person because it allows me to explore a whole other world that humans can’t see! I also loved that she so small and dainty and yet she’s so strong because of her outlook. Claris is also the complete opposite to the tall fashion characters that I normally draw – she’s, short, hairy and oh so chic!
She certainly is wonderfully chic! Can you walk us though your creative process? How do your ideas come to be these beautiful illustrations and words on the page?
Creating the children’s books has been a completely different speed to my fashion books! Firstly, they are much harder to create. The rhyming of each story is quite epic. They seem basic when you read it but literally every single word is written and re-written over and over! Then the illustrating of each story is intensive so I had to really approach the illustrations in the book with fresh eyes. I’ve been illustrating my whole life so the drawing part comes naturally, but I still felt it had to be drawn from a different point of view so children could really connect with it. Every single line in the story was like a movie in my head and so the process was to narrow that thought down to one single illustration. But in saying all that, I couldn’t love it more. Creating Claris books is probably the most fun I have in the studio.
Do you have any tips to get kids reading and is there a book you would recommend all kids to read?
The best way to get kids to read every day is to start from an early age. One of my fondest memories as a child was hopping into bed at night and getting to read another page or chapter of whatever book I was reading. I suggest making reading part of your child’s daily routine and making it fun! Ask children lots of questions about the story when they’re really little and get them involved with each story. Always take books away with you on holidays – I think this is the perfect time to get kids immersed into a book because they are out of their day-to-day rhythm and can fall completely into a book.
A book I think all kids should read is The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. It’s a simple story but has so much meaning and it’s the perfect parting book from primary school to high school.
And to finish, the most important question on everyone’s lips … what is next for Claris and her adventures?
I have SO many plans for my little mouse! Just this year there will be THREE Claris books released – she is a very busy mouse. She is ready to take over the world!
—Where is Claris in Paris by Megan Hess (Hardie Grant Egmont) is out now.
Q&A posted with permission from Hardie Grant Egmont.
Where is Claris in Paris
A Look-and-Find Story!
Claris, the chicest mouse in Paris, is setting off on an exciting adventure through the city of lights!
Can you find Claris and her friends in fabulous Parisian places such as the patisserie, the florist and the carousel? Look inside to find out!
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